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Tech 3 boss Herve Poncharal has warned KTM could dominate Moto2 in the future as other manufacturers will not be able to compete with “a real factory”.
KTM teamed up with Ajo Motorsport, champion with Johann Zarco in the past two years, to enter Moto2 in 2017.
The Austrian brand’s lead rider Miguel Oliveira was a regular podium finisher throughout the season and ended his campaign with three consecutive wins, ending Kalex’s streak of 49 wins.
Tech 3 has been a Moto2 bike manufacturer since the series was rebranded from 250cc in 2010, and Poncharal said KTM’s edge over the rest of the field could limit the competitiveness of the category.
“The fact now you have a real factory involved, we always call it David versus Goliath, and in some nice stories David is winning, but in real life that doesn’t last long,” said Poncharal.
“My feeling is Moto2 is going to change.
“I am going to do next year the same project, same as it is [now] in Moto2 but I will have to see for the future.
“[We need to decide if it] is it worth it, do we want to carry on our project even if it is competitive, but we don’t have the possibility to get the right riders to win.
“Or do we want to go back like when we were in 250cc with a factory Yamaha with Olivier Jacque.
“This is something I need to decide.”
The French squad is not the first works team to consider quitting Moto2.
Suter had officially announced it would withdraw at the end of 2017, only to reverse the decision soon afterwards and team up with Forward.
Marc VDS boss Michael Bartholemy also has a Kalex team in Moto2, and said a change in strategy will be required next year to go up against KTM.
“KTM is coming very strong in Moto2, it is the first time that we are fighting against a manufacturer with a small company like Kalex in Germany,” he said.
“For me, when I joined Moto2 there was always this thing that we don’t have the money from the factories and the know-how and all this time that you can spend developing the bike.
“In this moment it is like this, we have to work, we have a very busy winter.
“We have to change our strategy and I hope that I can come back to Valencia in February with a strong bike.”